Pakistan players’ participation in Abu Dhabi T10 in doubt as PCB demands $10,000 per player for NOCs

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) NOC demand puts Pakistani players’ Abu Dhabi T10 participation in doubt

The Pakistan Cricket Board’s reported demand for a fee of $10,000 per player has cast uncertainty over the participation of Pakistani cricketers in the upcoming Abu Dhabi T10 League. With the tournament due to begin on November 7, franchises now face a tight deadline to resolve the issue or find replacements.

The dispute concerns No-Objection Certificates (NOCs), which players need from their national board to take part in overseas leagues. According to reports, the PCB informed tournament organisers only this week that it wanted $10,000 for each Pakistani player seeking clearance. The late request has left team owners with little time to adjust their plans.

Why the Abu Dhabi T10 NOC dispute matters

A total of 16 Pakistan players were selected by five of the six franchises during the draft on September 30. Organisers reportedly applied for the players’ NOCs soon after the draft, expecting the approvals to be handled before the competition approached. The PCB’s reported fee demand has changed that calculation just days before the opening matches.

Franchises must now decide whether to pay the additional amount, negotiate a different arrangement or bring in replacement players. That decision could affect team balance, especially for sides that selected Pakistan internationals to fill specialist roles in the fast-paced T10 format. In a tournament where each innings lasts only 10 overs, losing experienced batters, seamers or all-rounders at short notice can require more than a simple like-for-like change.

The uncertainty also leaves the players in a difficult position. They have been drafted and may have prepared for the competition, but their availability depends on a board approval process that is still unresolved. Until NOCs are confirmed, franchises cannot be certain which members of their squads will be able to take the field.

Players reportedly willing to contribute to the fee

Some Pakistani players are said to be willing to pay the NOC charge from their own salaries if their franchises decline to cover it. That possibility points to how much the players may value the opportunity to compete overseas, gain experience in a short-format league and earn additional income.

However, a player-funded solution would not necessarily settle the broader issue. It could help individual cricketers secure clearance, but the reported demand raises questions about how overseas participation fees are determined and whether similar charges could affect future leagues. For organisers, clarity before a player draft would make budgeting and squad planning more predictable.

Talks have reportedly taken place to find a way forward, although some teams have already begun considering alternatives. The key question is whether the sides can reach an agreement before the tournament starts. If not, the Abu Dhabi T10 could begin with fewer Pakistani players than the draft initially suggested.

A recurring issue for Pakistan players in overseas leagues

The Abu Dhabi situation is not the first time the PCB has reportedly sought a payment linked to NOC approval. Last month, the board asked for $25,000 per player for participation in the Nepal Premier League. Hussain Talat and Jahandad Khan continued playing, while most of the other Pakistani players returned without taking part.

These cases highlight the challenges created by differing expectations between national boards and privately run franchise competitions. Boards must balance players’ opportunities abroad with their availability for international cricket, domestic commitments and national training programmes. League organisers, meanwhile, need reliable confirmation that drafted players can participate.

For players, the stakes are both professional and financial. Overseas leagues can offer exposure to unfamiliar conditions, opportunities to work with international coaches and teammates, and valuable experience in formats such as T10. But those benefits depend on timely approvals and clear rules.

PCB’s changing NOC policy adds to the uncertainty

The PCB has adjusted its approach to overseas league participation in recent years. Its earlier “PSL plus two” policy limited centrally contracted players to the Pakistan Super League and two other overseas competitions. The board has since introduced categories that reportedly link a player’s permitted league appearances to their playing role and format.

Under the revised framework, Track C players—described as T20 specialists—may be able to play in multiple T20 and T10 leagues, provided they remain available for national duty. Track BC players, who focus on white-ball cricket, can reportedly take part in two overseas leagues each year. Track AB players, who play red-ball and one-day cricket, are limited to one overseas league, while Track A red-ball specialists are not permitted to join overseas T20 or T10 competitions.

Those distinctions could help the PCB manage workloads and protect players’ availability for longer-format cricket. Yet the policy has been difficult to assess because the board has not announced its latest central contracts, leaving uncertainty over which category applies to individual players and how the rules interact with fees or other NOC conditions.

Pakistani players selected for the Abu Dhabi T10

The 16 players picked by the five franchises are:

• Arabian Aces: Salman Irshad
• Emirates Eagles: Akif Javed, Hasan Nawaz and Ali Raza
• Royal Desert Champions: Naseem Shah
• UAE Bulls: Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Khawaja Nafay, Khushdil Shah, Azam Khan and Mohammad Wasim Jr.
• United Tigers: Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Sufyan Moqeem and Abbas Afridi

What happens next?

The immediate focus is on whether the PCB and Abu Dhabi T10 organisers can agree on the reported $10,000-per-player demand before November 7. A resolution would allow franchises to finalise their squads and give the selected players certainty. If negotiations fail, teams may have to move quickly to secure replacements, while some players could miss the competition despite being chosen in the draft.

The episode also raises a wider question about the future of NOC arrangements for Pakistani cricketers. A transparent, consistently applied system—announced well before league drafts—could help boards protect national commitments while allowing players and franchises to plan with confidence. For now, the prediction is that the final line-ups may remain unsettled until the PCB clarifies its position and the organisers decide whether to meet the reported fee demand.